Privacy Preserving in Digital Health: Main Issues, Technologies, and Solutions

Abstract

Recently, digital health solutions are taking advantage of recent advances in information and communication technologies. In this context, patients' health data are shared with other stakeholders. Moreover, it's now easier to collect massive health data due to the rising use of connected sensors in the health sector. However, the sensitivity of this shared healthcare data related to patients may increase the risks of privacy violation. Therefore, healthcare-related data need robust security measurements to prevent its disclosure and preserve patients' privacy. However, in order to make well-informed decisions, it is often necessary to allow more permissive security policies for healthcare organizations even without the consent of patients or against their preferences. The authors of this chapter concentrate on highlighting these challenging issues related to patient privacy and presenting some of the most significant privacy preserving approaches in the context of digital health.